Button delivering apparatus

ABSTRACT

This disclosure teaches an apparatus for delivering buttons to a sewing machine and during the delivery orienting the buttons for a sewing head. The apparatus includes a reciprocable feed carriage having pins for insertion into holes of the buttons. Pneumatic cylinders reciprocate and rock the carriage to advance and orient the buttons. Sequential closures of fluidic ports and coaction of a fluidic control system synchronize the reciprocating and rocking.

United States Patent Hughes et al.

1 1 BUTTON DELIVERING APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Francis H. Hughes, North Troy;

Douglas .1. Crawford, Troy, both of NY.

[73] Assignee: Cluett, Peabody & (10., lnc., New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Dec. 7, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 422,707

[52] U.S. Cl. 112/113 [51] Int. Cl D0511 3/22 [58] Field of Search 112/104,105,110l13; 221/173 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,940,229 12/1933 Rawnsley 112/113 2,207,077 7/1940 Stott 112/113 3,089,443 5/1963 Asnes 112/110 1 June 17, 1975 3,246,618 4/1966 Johnson et a1, 112/110 3,494,311 2/1970 Hopkins 112/113 3,563,193 2/1971 Hughes 112/113 3,633,524 l/1972 Hoffsommer 112/113 3,670,673 6/1972 Jacobs ct a1. u 112/113 3,712,253 H1973 Asnes .4 112/113 Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure teaches an apparatus for delivering buttons to a sewing machine and during the delivery orienting the buttons for a sewing head. The apparatus includes a reciprocable feed carriage having pins for insertion into holes of the buttons. Pneumatic cylinders reciprocate and rock the carriage to advance and orient the buttons. Sequential closures of fluidic ports and coaction of a fluidic control system synchronize the reciprocating and rocking.

11 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures JUN 1 7 I975 PATENTEI] ET PATENTEIJJUN 17 m5 1889512 SHEET 5 NO BUTTON ADVANCE RETRACT TILT RETURN ADVANCE FIG. l5

1 BUTTON DELIVERING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to button delivering apparatus and more particularly to a button delivering apparatus which can be used in conjunction with a conventional sewing machine and a vibratory feed button supply system.

A variety of devices have been used in the past to feed buttons and position them in relation to a sewing head. These prior art devices are described for example in US. Pat. Nos. 1,940,229; 2,207,077; and 3,089,443. Among disadvantages of these and prior art devices are that they tend to be noisy, bulky and slow.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present disclosure solves problems of the prior art in a particularly useful, novel, unobvious and facile manner. In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure a basic mechanism is utilized, which is similar to that shown in the Francis H. Hughes et al US. Pat. No. 3,563,193, owned by the assignee of this invention. With that mechanism, buttons are fed from a known vibratory supply system face up but rotationally unoriented into a supply chute connected to the button delivering apparatus. A carriage is driven from a start position by a double acting pneumatic cylinder and a de livery head on the carriage transports a prior oriented button to a button clamp positioned operatively rela tive a sewing head. A next unoriented button is received from the supply chute and holes in the next button are oriented by the carriage before delivery of that next button to the button clamp so that the sewing head lines up with holes of that next button during sewing. A second air cylinder operates to disengage the deliv ery head from that next button so that the carriage may return to the start position where the delivery head picks up another button and repeats its cycle.

In the system of the present invention, removal of a button from the button clamp signals a fluidic circuit which causes the carriage to move toward the button clamp with an oriented button, then to rock so as to cause the delivery head to remove its pins from holes in the delivered button, then to move away from the button clamp so as to expose the delivered button for sewing, then to unrock the delivery head so as to bring the pins down onto a next button, then to rotate the pins so as to sit them in the holes of the next button whereby it is ready to be fed in turn to the button clamp.

Accordingly an object of this invention is to control a button delivering apparatus of the character stated by means of a novel fluidic system so that it is operable at superior speed and reliability over prior art devices of its kind.

Another object of this invention is to provide a but ton delivering apparatus of the character stated which is quiet, compact and easy to operate.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a button delivering apparatus of the character stated which is suited well otherwise to its intended function.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages will appear more fully from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment and claims which follow, all viewed in conjunction with accompanying drawings 2 wherein like figures designate like parts and wherein:

FIG. I is a plan view of a button feeder according to this invention at a moment in its operative cycle when a button is in its sew position. the delivery head has returned to its button feed position and has rotated and seated its pins in holes of a next button.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the button feeder shown in FIG. I.

FiG. 3 is an operating end elevational view of the button feeder shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. I, but it is enlarged for clarity of details.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an elevational sectional view taken on bro ken line 7 7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is an elevational sectional view taken along line 88 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a plan view similar to FIG. I of the button feeder at a moment in its operative cycle when a sewn button upon being removed causes a button sensing fin ger to close momentarily a sensor nozzle resulting in the button delivery head sliding the next button from the button feed position to the sew position.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary operative view similar to FIG. 9 at the next moment of operation in which a button delivery head has been rocked to remove its pins from the button.

FIG. II is an enlarged elevational sectional view taken along line lI--II of FIG. It].

FIG. 12 is a plan view at a moment of operation following that of FIGS. 10 and I I at which time the button delivery head and carriage assembly has been retracted to the button feed position.

FIG. 13 is an end elevational view, partly broken away, of the button delivery head at a moment ofopcration when pins of the lowered head contact an upper face of a rotationally misaligned button.

FIG. I4 is a plan view of the button feeder at a moment of operation following that of FIG. 13 at which time the button delivery head pins have been rotated to ensure entry of the pins into the button holes.

FIG. I5 is a Iiuidic control diagram of fourteen operating gates, four high pressure output diaphragm operated interfaced valves and connecting circuitry.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1 through 8 depict a button feeder I0 in its cycle start condition. A frame body 12 supports both slidably and rotatably a button delivery head and carriage assembly 14. The frame body 12 is fixed relative to a sewing head (not shown] by means of a pivotable bracket 16 and a clamp hook I8 as best seen in FIG. 4. The frame body 12 comprises a base member 20, a button feed channel 22, a stationary button positioning clamp member 24, a leaf spring biased movable button positioning clamp member 26, a control port, a bearing block and an air cylinder clamp assembly 28, a bearing bracket 30 and an air cylinder support bracket 32.

The air cylinder support bracket 32 supports an air cylinder 34 in a bearing 36 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. As best shown in FIG. 5 the assembly 28 is bored and slotted at 28A and is provided with two clamping screws 288 (shown in FIG. 4) to support an air cylinder 38. A cylinder rod 34A is of a spring return type biased into the position shown in FIGS. 1-8 when pressurized air is not admitted to a port 34B. The air cylinder 38 is double acting so that a rod 38A can be moved rightward or leftward of the position shown in FIGS. l-8 by admitting pressurized air via a port 38B or a port 38C respectively.

Five control ports are bored and fitted with air hose connections. An air hose connection 40 connects via ducts 40A and 40B to a control port 40C shown best in FIG. 4. The control port 40C is relatively closed by a spring 26A when the movable button positioning clamp member 26 is freed. A pair of connections 42, 44 lead to two control ports 42A, 44A (shown best in FIG. 7) which are disposed arcuately with respect to a tilting or rocking axis 14A of the assembly 14 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Another pair of air connections 46, 48 lead to control ports to 46A, 48A similarly disposed as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

Buttons, drilled four square for sewing, are fed face up in a known manner from an orienting hopper (not shown) into the button feed channel 22.

The delivery head and carriage assembly 14 comprises a delivery head assembly 50, a stop collar 52, another stop collar 54, a slotted guide collar 56, a drive link 58 and a shaft 60. The delivery head assembly 50 is shown best in FIG. 7 to comprise a housing 50A, a long bearing sleeve or bushing 508 with slot 56A, a spindled slotted gear 50C, a second meshing gear 50D, which is half the diametra] pitch of the gear 50C and is fixed to a spindle shaft 50E which supports on its lower face a pin assembly 50F.

The stop collar 52, fixed on the sleeve 50B, supports an O-ring tipped valve element 52A and the stop collar 54, fixed on the sleeve 50B supports a like O-ring tipped valve element 54A. The stop collar 54 extends in an arm 543 to a bearing 34C on the piston rod 34A. The collar 56, fixed on the sleeve 508, has a through slot 588 extending from its outer walls through its inner walls. The link 58 is fixed on the shaft 60, and has an arcuately slotted bracket 58C (shown best in FIG. 8) through which the cylinder rod 38A passes and is secured axially with respect to the bracket 58C by two collars 380.

The shaft 60, slidable in the sleeve 508, has a bracket supported pin 60A engaged by a slot in the gear 50C and a pin 60B that engages the slot 56A.

A coil spring 62 connected between a support 56B on the collar 56 and a support A on the base 20 biases the assembly 14 to the right as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 4. A second coil spring 64 connected between the support 565 and a support 58D on the link 58 biases the shaft 60 to the left.

The delivery head and carriage assembly 14, rockable by means of the cylinder 34 about the axis 14A, is shown in FIGS. 1-8 in a position wherein the rod 34A is retracted, and the delivery head assembly 50 is fully down. In that condition, either the valve element 52A covers the control port 42A or the valve element 54A covers the control port 46A, depending on the longitudinal position of the carriage along the axis 14A. When the rod 34A is extended, one of the valve elements 52A or 54A covers one of the ports 44A or 48A respectively.

OPERATING CYCLE Through sequential closures of control ports cooperating with a fluidic control assembly, the operating cycle is shown by reference to FIGS. 9 through 15. As shown in FIG. 9, a button 66, after being sewn to a garment, is withdrawn from being gripped between the button clamp members 24 and 26. Closure of the port 40C by the arm 26A actuates a first fluidic means including the control port 40C, a flip-flop 76, a position sensor fluidic device 70, and an OR gate 82, which supplies air to the actuator port 38C. The delivery head and carriage assembly 14 then moves to the left, opens the control port 40C, and places the next button in position for sewing. The valve element 54A closes the control port 46A. This action actuates a second fluidic means including the control port 46A, a fluidic flip-flop 81, and a fluidic back pressure switch 71 which supplies air to the actuator port 348 whereby the as sembly 14 is rocked as shown in FIG. 11. The actuator cylinder 38 is caused by a third fluidic means including the control port 48A, a fluidic flip-flop 76, and a fluidic back pressure switch 72 to lose its air, and the spring 62 moves the assembly 14 to the right as shown in FIG. 12 exposing the transported button for sewing. The valve element 52A then covers the control port 44A and this actuates a fourth fluidic means including the control port 44A, the fluidic flip-flop 81, and a fluidic back pressure switch 73, which cuts off air to the cylinder 34 and the assembly 14 rocks back toward its starting position as shown in FIG. 13 bringing the pin assembly 50F down onto the surface of the following button. The valve element 52A now covers the control port 42A as shown in FIG. 14 actuating a fifth fluidic means including the control port 42A, fluidic back pressure switch 74, and OR gates 79, 77, causing air to enter the cylinder port 38B. This air is delivered as a pulse only, causing the actuator rod 38A to move the shaft 60 to the right momentarily. The shaft 60 returns under influence of the spring 64 to drive the gears 50C, 50D thereby rotating the pin assembly 50F. The rotation imparted to the pin assembly 50F ensures that the pins enter holes in the button and orients the buttons for the sewing head.

FLUIDIC CONTROLS FIG. 15 shows a fluidic control circuit comprising fourteen gates or switches, two fluidic capacitors. four diaphragm operated interface valves and an interlock valve. A position sensor switch and five back pressure switches 71-75 are input gates. Circuit logic components are three bistable flipflops 76, 81 and 83 and five OR gates 77, 79, 80, 82 and 85. One shot pulse circuits 78, 84 are shown between gates 77 and 79 as well as between gates 83 and 85 respectively.

Output to the button feeder cylinders 34, 38 is at valves 86, 87 and 88. Valve 89 output controls the sewing head. Valve 90 is an interlock valve between the sewing head and the feeder. The feeder cannot ad- Vance, if the sewing needle is down.

The operating cycle starts with removal of a sewn button. The control port 40C is blocked and output 70A is switched to 70B. This switching action removes a signal at 82A and since the feeder is in a stationary condition with tilt return blocked off, there is no signal at 828. Removal of both these signals permits a signal to travel from 82C to 76A. This signal in turn sends a signal from 768 to the output valve 86 permitting air to arrive at the cylinder connection 38C and the delivery head and carriage assembly 14 moves to the left.

Output 70B is used to prevent sewing while there is no button in the sewing position, because all three signals must be removed from the gate 80 before sewing can take place. The delivery head now advances to deliver a button to the sewing position. On its arrival, the valve element 54A blocks off the control port 46A thereby supplying a signal from 71A to 81A which in turn supplies a signal to the output valve 87. The output valve 87 admits air to the cylinder 34 and the delivery head assembly 50 rocks as shown in H6. 11. The control port 48A is thereby blocked off sending a signal from 72A to 76C, which signal removes the signal to the output valve 86, which in turn removes the air at the cylinder connection 38C. The carriage assembly is then moved to the right by the spring 62 and the control port 44A is blocked off sending a signal from 73A to 813. The signals from 813 to the output valve 87 is therefore removed and, because the cylinder 34 loses its air, the cylinder spring rocks the assembly 14 back as shown in FIG. 13. The control port 42A is blocked and a signal is supplied from 74B to 77A. This signal removes the signal from 79A and supplies a delayed signal at 79B giving a pulse output from 79C which in turn pulses the output valve 88. A pulse of air at the cylinder connection 388 rotationally orients the button by means of the gear train 50C, 50D.

An examination of the circuitry shows also that nondelivery of a button will institute recycling until a button is delivered.

Conditions for sewing are that all three signals must be removed from the gate 80. With a button present, the signal at 80A is removed. In tilt return position, the signal at 803 is removed. The signal at 80C is removed by a foot pedal or by automatic means. Removal of these signals switches the output of the gate 80 from 80D to 80E. This output is applied to 83A which supplies a delayed signal to 85A and because removal of the signal at 858 is immediate, a pulse output is obtained at 85C. This pulse shifts the sewing head control valve 89 which supplies a pulse of air to a sew signal.

It will be understood by those familiar with button feeders and/or fluidic controls that various deviations can be made from the described preferred embodiment without departing from a main theme of invention set forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a button delivering means of the type including a button clamp, a button delivery head for engaging and advancing buttons one at a time to the clamp, first actuator means for advancing and retracting said delivery head, and second actuator means for rocking said head for engaging and releasing buttons, the improvement characterized by a fluidic control system for said button delivery means which comprises a. a plurality of pressure responsive fluidic control devices for controlling said actuator means,

b. a plurality of air-discharging control ports, one associated with each of said fluidic control devices,

c. means to supply air under pressure to said control ports for discharge therefrom,

d. means responsive to predetermined motions of said delivery head to effect relative opening and closing of said air-discharging ports to vary the condition of said fluidic devices, and

e. means interconnecting said fluidic control devices and said actuators, whereby to cause sequential, programmed operation of said actuators in response to sequential relative closings and openings of said ports; 2. The improvement of claim 1, further characterized y 5 a. said fluidic control devices comprise back pressure switches or position sensing devices.

3. The improvement of claim 1, further characterized a. a slideable member being provided for mounting said delivery head and carrying an opposed pair of port-closing valve elements,

b. a member disposed between said valve elements and having oppositely facing valve surfaces arranged for cooperation with said opposed valve elements,

c. at least certain of said control ports being located in said valve surfaces and being closable by said valve elements, and

d. said valve elements being spaced apart a greater distance than valve surfaces, such that only one of said valve elements at a time isin a port-closing against a cooperating valve surface.

4. The improvement of claim 3, further characterized a. each of said valve surfaces having a plurality of control ports therein,

b. said slideable member being mounted for limited rocking movement, and

c. said valve elements being movable with rocking movements of said slideable member to close selectively individual ones of the plurality of control ports on a valve surface.

5. The improvement of claim 1, further characterized a. said button clamp including a clamping member carried by a leaf spring element and displaceable with said leaf spring member upon the positioning of a button in the clamp, and

b. one of said control ports being located adjacent the leaf spring element and being relatively closed by the non-displaced spring and relatively opened by the displacement of the leaf spring.

6. The improvement of claim 5, further characterized a. the fluidic devices controlled by the last mentioned control port being a position sensor device.

7. In a button delivering means of the type including a button clamp and means to deliver buttons to the clamp, and wherein one element of the button clamp is resiliently supported by an elongated leaf spring, an improved fluidic control system, which includes a. a fluidic control device for actuating the button delivery means,

b. an air supply means for controllably changing the condition of said fluidic control device,

c. control port means permitting discharge of air from said supply to maintain said fluidic device in one condition, and

d. means including said leaf spring for relatively closing said control port to change said fluidic device to a second condition.

8. The improvement of claim 7, further characterized a. said control port being so positioned, relative to said leaf spring, as to be relatively closed thereby when said spring is not displaced by a button held by said clamp.

LII

7 8 9. The improvement of claim 8, further characterized condition of said fluidic control means. by I]. The improvement of claim It), further charactera. said fluidic control device comprises a position ized by sensing device. a. said actuator means including a first actuator for 10. In a button delivery means including a movable moving said delivery means along an axis and secbutton delivery head, an improved fluidic control sysond actuator means for rocking said delivery tem, which includes means about said axis,

a. actuator means for moving the delivery head, b. said fluidic control means includes a plurality of b. pressure responsive fluidic control means for confluidic control devices for controlling said actuatrolling the actuator means, 10 tors, c. vented air supply means for controlling the condic. a plurality of valve elements and a cooperating plution of the fluidic control means, rality of control ports, d. said vented air supply including a valve surface and d. said control ports, when relatively open, venting a valve element movable relative to each other, air to maintain respective fluidic devicesin a pree. one of said valve element or valve surface being determined condition, and

movable with said delivery head, e. said valve elements and said control ports being f. said valve surface having a control port therein relatively movable in accordance with axial and forming, when open, an outlet for said vented air rocking movements of said delivery head to selecsupply, and tively close said control ports in sequence to g. said valve element serving to close said control change the condition of respective ones of said fluport, upon predetermined relative movement of idic devices. said valve surface and valve element, to alter the 

1. In a button delivering means of the type including a button clamp, a button delivery head for engaging and advancing buttons one at a time to the clamp, first actuator means for advancing and retracting said delivery head, and second actuator means for rocking said head for engaging and releasing buttons, the improvement characterized by a fluidic control system for said button delivery means which comprises a. a plurality of pressure responsive fluidic control devices for controlling said actuator means, b. a plurality of air-discharging control ports, one associated with each of said fluidic control devices, c. means to supply air under pressure to said control ports for discharge therefrom, d. means responsive to predetermined motions of said delivery head to effect relative opening and closing of said airdischarging ports to vary the condition of said fluidic devices, and e. means interconnecting said fluidic control devices and said actuators, whereby to cause sequential, programmed operation of said actuators in response to sequential relative closings and openings of said ports.
 2. The improvement of claim 1, further characterized by a. said fluidic control devices comprise back pressure switches or position sensing devices.
 3. The improvement of claim 1, further characterized by a. a slideable member being provided for mounting said delivery head and carrying an opposed pair of port-closing valve elements, b. a member disposed between said valve elements and having oppositely facing valve surfaces arranged for cooperation with said opposed valve elements, c. at least certain of said control ports being located in said valve surfaces and being closable by said valve elements, and d. said valve elements being spaced apart a greater distance than valve surfaces, such that only one of said valve elements at a time is in a port-closing against a cooperating valve surface.
 4. The improvement of claim 3, further characterized by a. each of said valve surfaces having a plurality of control ports therein, b. said slideable member being mounted for limited rocking movement, and c. said valve elements being movable with rocking movements of said slideable member to close selectively individual ones of the plurality of control ports on a valve surface.
 5. The improvement of claim 1, further characterized by a. said button clamp including a clamping member carried by a leaf spring element and displaceable with said leaf spring member upon the positioning of a button in the clamp, and b. one of said control ports being located adjacent the leaf spring element and being relatively closed by the non-displaced spring and relatively opened by the displacement of the leaf spring.
 6. The improvement of claim 5, further characterized by a. the fluidic devices controlled by the last mentioned control port being a position sensor device.
 7. In a button delivering means of tHe type including a button clamp and means to deliver buttons to the clamp, and wherein one element of the button clamp is resiliently supported by an elongated leaf spring, an improved fluidic control system, which includes a. a fluidic control device for actuating the button delivery means, b. an air supply means for controllably changing the condition of said fluidic control device, c. control port means permitting discharge of air from said supply to maintain said fluidic device in one condition, and d. means including said leaf spring for relatively closing said control port to change said fluidic device to a second condition.
 8. The improvement of claim 7, further characterized by a. said control port being so positioned, relative to said leaf spring, as to be relatively closed thereby when said spring is not displaced by a button held by said clamp.
 9. The improvement of claim 8, further characterized by a. said fluidic control device comprises a position sensing device.
 10. In a button delivery means including a movable button delivery head, an improved fluidic control system, which includes a. actuator means for moving the delivery head, b. pressure responsive fluidic control means for controlling the actuator means, c. vented air supply means for controlling the condition of the fluidic control means, d. said vented air supply including a valve surface and a valve element movable relative to each other, e. one of said valve element or valve surface being movable with said delivery head, f. said valve surface having a control port therein forming, when open, an outlet for said vented air supply, and g. said valve element serving to close said control port, upon predetermined relative movement of said valve surface and valve element, to alter the condition of said fluidic control means.
 11. The improvement of claim 10, further characterized by a. said actuator means including a first actuator for moving said delivery means along an axis and second actuator means for rocking said delivery means about said axis, b. said fluidic control means includes a plurality of fluidic control devices for controlling said actuators, c. a plurality of valve elements and a cooperating plurality of control ports, d. said control ports, when relatively open, venting air to maintain respective fluidic devices in a predetermined condition, and e. said valve elements and said control ports being relatively movable in accordance with axial and rocking movements of said delivery head to selectively close said control ports in sequence to change the condition of respective ones of said fluidic devices. 